It may appear that I have dropped off the face of the earth this past month. While trying to recover from Maisy's hospitalization for a septic infection in July and several recent health crises that involve driving back and forth to Mpls Childrens Hospital, we have barely had time to breath this summer. But we have been squeezing in every last moment we can.
Maisy is learning to walk. That is simply one of the most amazing things to watch in the world. I can not get enough of it. The older we get as parents, the more time we spend just watching and enjoying every moment of the miracles we are given as we take on the role of parenting. Learning to walk...wow...that is breathtaking.
I have so much to tell you about. We went to Joni Camp and were so renewed in our walk on this journey of disability..it is always so wonderful to praise our Creator together with those who are in the trenches with us on this journey every day.
What is slowing me down this month is definately paperwork. We had changed agencies to complete Maisy's adoption. The original social workers that did our updated homestudy retired and our case was transfered to another office. Somewhere along the line, our paperwork was lost. And to top it off, the State of Minnesota decided to enforce a law that has been the books for many years. No County has followed the law because it doesn't make any sense. Sherburne County has been targetting for being our of compliance and we were hit big this week. The law states that if you are foster parents, you can not receive CDCS/CSG services for any of the children in your home. This is a ridiculous law because it is penalizing foster parents for their line of work as well as costing the State way more money. It should just apply to the foster children in the home, but somehow the law was written that NO child in the home can get these services. That basically means, in a nutshell, that we have lost all of our income and all of our PCA's in one day. If none of this makes sense to you at all, than you are getting a taste of what this past month has been like around here---confusing! I really believe that all of this will be resolved in appeals...because we only have a foster care license for about another month until Maisy's adoption is finalized...but that means filing four appeals to the State in my spare time!
So here is just some of the paperwork sitting in my stack:
- All the school paperwork that has to be completed times 7 --we have 6 schools this year that we have to be a part of --think open houses, carnivals, fund raisers, etc...(Bethel, Elk River High School, Vandenberge Middle school, Meadowvale Elementary, Kaleidoscope Charter and Handke Preschool).
- School supply lists--I can't even find all the lists!
- An adoption homestudy that must be redone
- Budgets for County services (that have been cut anyway
- Medical Assistance paperwork
- Minnesota care paperwork
- School activities paperwork (soccer, etc...)
And this is just the beginning....I am sure you can all relate. But for today, I just want to watch my baby take her first steps and thank our Lord for this privelege we have been given to have front row seats to this miracle!
